Flats business owner vows to be accessible on council

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on August 12, 2025.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

Council candidate Clayton Stevens is, above all, looking to be part of a council that has the average resident in mind.

His decision to run for council was founded in recent struggles he and fellow residents have had in regards to the Mustard Seed, which made Stevens feel that some parts of the city were being underrepresented by the municipal government.

“It took us three years to actually get, you know, our issues with the Mustard Seed and everything heard by the city and by council,” said Stevens.

“After seeing that and realizing that there’s a lot of other people that don’t have as big of a voice. The amount of people we had working together and it still took us two and a half years to even get the first meeting with somebody about it,” said Stevens. “So I believe having someone like me that actually lives down in these neighbourhoods, that operates a business down here, is a voice that we desperately need in this city.”

His focus, both for his campaign and hopefully his time on council, is to make the city more attractive to investment, more friendly to small business and to address the ongoing homelessness issue in a way that blends compassion with protecting neighbourhoods and businesses.

“The federal government and provincial government are all saying the same thing. They want to be more accountable to the people. So let’s see the municipal government start doing the same,” said Stevens. “Let’s get rid of some of these bylaws that are injuring small businesses, let’s get rid of some of these fees that are preventing smaller businesses from opening, and let’s try to make this just a more friendly city for new investment.”

He added that the loss of agricultural businesses and youth leaving the community after college to find work as issues he would like to see addressed by attracting more investment and opportunities to the region.

“I would like to see, you know, new investment in the city. I’d like to see the Invest Medicine Hat program rejuvenated. It was a good idea, just poorly implemented. And I would really like to see it succeed, to bring in some big business to help us out,” said Stevens.

As the owner of Starlite Convenience in the North Flats and an established cab driver, Stevens believes he has a unique perspective, as he can see the impact of municipal decisions early and close to home.

He says he has no intent of removing himself from his role out in the community, and will continue to be accessible to the average person while on council.

Ideally, he hopes to see a council of “common sense people” who are able to work together well with a shared vision of improving the city, which he said he feels is not currently present.

“If elected, and you’re someone that you do have problems, you can actually talk to a city council member, and it’s not going to take you two years to get someone’s ear,” said Stevens. “I think it’s not a bad idea to catch a cab and have a council member that you could talk to for your ride, or when you come in to get an ice cream. So as long as you’ve got a valid point, I’m willing to listen.”

Residents can expect an active campaign leading up to the election, and he invites anyone who wants to speak with him about their ideas for the city in the meantime.

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